Jambs h



(Nummer.) J@ :WICKES- 'Freight-Car Door.'

10.227,338. Patented May 4,1880.

`39 other freight close up to the inside of the door,

JAMES H. wIoKEs, E NEW YORK, N. Y.

FREIGHT-CAR DOOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 227 338 a Application iled March 24, 1880. (N o model.)

, dated May 4, 1880.

To all whom t may concern: I position the door is held up against these jambs Be it known that I, JAMES H. WICKES, a or stops by a locking mechanism, cousistin citizen of the United States, residing' at New l in this example, ofa door-sill or threshold, E,

York, in the county and State of New York, which is hing'ed to the bottom of the car, as 55 have invented new and useful Improvements at c, and adapted to overlap the door on its in Freight-Gar Doors, of which the following l lower edge, and of a latch, F, which is atis a specification. tached to the door in a suitable manner to'en- This invention is especially adapted to cars gage the hinged door-sill and hold the same for transporting grain or other freight and it in its locked position. 6o 1o consists in certain novel combinations of parts, The parts last described constitute an efhereinafter fully deseribed,and pointed outin cient locking mechanism, while the hinged the claims. door-sill has the additional advantage that it This invention is illustrated in the aeeoinforms a close joint between the dooi' and the panying drawings, i'n which Figure l reprebottom ofthe car. 65 I5 sents a vertical cross-section of a car embody- The gudgeons C are integral with metallic ing the invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal seccorner-pieces G, attached to the door at its uption thereof. Fig'. 3 is a longitudinal vertical per corners, these corner-pieces being formed section,.look1ng at the inside of the door. with offsets c, extending' toward the inside of the car, at the inner edge Vof which offsets the 7o Fig. 4 shows the exterior of the door. Fig'. 5 2o shows the door partly in top view and partly gudgeons are situated, so that the gudgeons are brought on the inside of the door-posts.

in section.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts. The letter A designates the door, and B the door-posts, between which the door is fitted. The doorAis of the class which are to be lifted for the purpose of bringing the same to its open position, and, as hitherto arranged, considerable force is required to lift the door in case the car is loaded with grain or with of the car-and hence the dooi' has a tendency to swing' to an in wardly-inclined position on the gudgeons. When the door is lifted Io the top of the car the gudgeons C are received in bearings f, formed at the upper ends of the guide- 8o bars D, so that the door is thereby reta-ined in its upper position, and it is at this point that the door swings to an inwardly-inclined position. The next step, after lifting the door to bring the gudgeons C into the bearingsf, is to swing' the door inward and upward, as indicated in Fig. l, and to fasten the saine to the because the pressure thus brought to bear thereon has a tendency to retard its ascent.

One feature of my invention is to so arrange the doorA that it is not only capable of being 3 5 lifted, but also adapted to swing outward on g'udgeons secured thereto at or near its upper edge, so thatwhen the door is released it yields to the pressure of the grain or other freight and m f' be readily brought to an open posi- 4o tion. ther advantage therebygained being that when the ear is loaded with grain this material is permitted to escape as soon as the door is released and before it is lifted.

The letter C designates the gudgeons of the the tendency of the door to swing inward this 9o operation is materially facilitated.

Another advantageous result of this tendency of the door is, that it remains within the sides of t'he ear, and is not liable to strike a passing object.

When the door is lowered and the gudgeons G take their bearings on the shoulders a the gudgeons are brought beneath stops t', attached to suitable portions of the door-posts B, the 'office of which stops is to prevent an upward roo movement of the door when it is in a vertical position-that is to say, when it is closed and move in the ascent or descent of the door.

Each ofthe posts Bis provided with a jam b, Z1, o on its lower part, acting as a stop to the inner movement ofthe door, and in its lower or closed locked. The stops i are respectively beveled on the upper part thereof to allow the 'gudgeons C to ridel freely over them in the descent of the door. When the door is released and swings outward, as hereinbefore stated, the gudgeons C take a position within the vertical plane of the stops t', as indicated in Fig. 1,- thus clearing the stops, so that the door may be readily lifted to a'n upper position.

The latch F, for fastening sill E, is pivoted to a lever, H, which has its fulcrum at one end on the door, as at l, while the other or free end thereof moves iin a guide, n, attached to the door, and with which iscombined a cam, o, for holding the parts in their locking positions. y

For the purpose of strengthening the door it is provided with vertical ribs 'p at its opposite ends, and these ribs are fastened by rivets or bolts, which serve also to fasten metallic lining-strips s, serving to protect the door against wear by contact with the j'ambs b in rits up or down movement.

lVhat I claim as new, and desire to 'secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a freight-car, the combination, with the door-posts, of a door capable of being lifted and adapted to swing outward on gudgeons secured thereto at or near its upper edge, and having a locking mechanism for holding the door in its lower or'closed position, the whole constructed and adapted to operate substan tially as herein described.

2. In a freight-car, the combination, with the the hinged door door-posts and with a door capable of being lifted and adapted to swing outward on gudge'ons secured thereto at or near its upper edge, of a threshold hinged to the bottom of the car and adapted to overlap the door on its lower edge, and a fastening device acting on the threshold to hold the door in its lower or closed position, the whole constructed and adapted to operate substantially as described.

3. ln afreight-car,thecombinatiomwith the door-posts, oi' a door constructed with cornerpieces having gudgeons and offsets, substantially as described, whereby a tendency is given to the door to assume an inwardly-inclined position, as set forth.

4. The combination, with the door constructed with corner-pieces having gudgeons and offsets, substantially as described, of stops serving to prevent an upward movement lof the door when it occupies a lower and vertical position, as set forth.

5. The combination,` with the door, the hinged threshold, and the latch F, of the lever H, carryingy the latch, and the cam o, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal in the presence of two sub- Y scribing witnesses.

JAMES H. WIGKES. [L. S.]

Witnesses W. HAUFF, E. F. KASTENHUBER. 

